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A Note from Staff Council President Catherine Symans

December 2012

Greetings! The Runoff election, held on November 13 & 14 to determine if staff employees in the Administrative, Technical, and Specialist job families would be represented by a union, resulted in a strong turnout with very clear results. We are pleased to report that our efforts and those of many others had an impact on motivating those who were eligible to take part in this election. Throughout this process, Staff Council continued to fulfill its mission by working to keep all staff informed on the importance of voting. Staff Council has never taken a position on these organizing efforts because our organization is built upon the voice of staff and we have always wanted to respect the freedom of choice for all staff at UVM.

This experience has made it clear to me and many others that some staff at UVM feel that their voices are not heard nor respected. How we move forward is important because as a community, we have an opportunity to listen, collaborate, address, and resolve the issues that leave many feeling undervalued and unappreciated. As a community, we need to do more to encourage the building of relationships among students, staff, faculty, and the administration because we are all part of UVM and each of our individual actions contribute to the greatness of this institution. Staff Council will continue with the work it has done for over 40 years to serve as the voice and advocate of all staff at UVM since 1971.

Please know that I, along with the rest of Staff Council, welcome your comments, questions, concerns, input and feedback so that we can continue the great work that we do to make UVM a great place for staff. You can contact me directly or send an email to Staff.Council@uvm.edu

With the holiday season fast approaching, a wonderful way to build community relationships and get into the spirit of the holiday season is to attend the Staff Council’s Annual Holiday Bazaar and Food Drive which will be held on Thursday, December 6th, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. in the Davis Center Grand Maple Ballroom. This annual event is a wonderful example of staff coming together to recognize and celebrate the talents of our community while helping others.

Here’s to a wonderful holiday season.

Catherine E. Symans

Staff Council President

Click below to learn about how Staff Council's Leadership has served UVM staff over the last month.